A grassroots framework for safer spaces
On March 18th 2025, we premiered our new film about safety and inclusivity in the night time industry. ‘Bold Bodies, Safer Spaces: burlesque’s grassroots solutions to safety’ is the story of communities from Doncaster, Leeds and Barnsley and their grassroots approach towards safety. We worked with performers, producers and participants from burlesque, queer, kink, and … Read more
I am pleased to share this CFP for a special issue of Performance Research. The principle investigator on Fabulous Femininities, Jacki Willson, is one of the co-editors alongside Adele Mason-Bertrand (who has also previously worked on the Fabulous Femininities project) and Jenny Lawson. If you would like to submit proposals, then the details are in … Read more
We have had a busy start to the year! In January, Jacki shared some of the Fabulous Femininities journey with our colleagues at the School of Performance and Cultural Industries at Leeds. She spoke about the relationships that have been formed during her journey on the project and also discussed the Fabulous Femininities documentary – … Read more
As we head towards the end of the year, here’s a quick look back on what the Fabulous Femininities team has been up to – and what’s coming up in the first few months of 2025. In April, I (Daisy) joined the team and quickly after that, we headed into a series of workshops across … Read more
I’m very pleased to let you know that Fabulous Femininities team member Prof. Alice O’Grady has contributed to What Is An Institute For NightCulture? This book examines what a cultural institution devoted to night-culture might look like and is part of the efforts towards building such an institute in Amsterdam – the Institute for NightCulture (INC). … Read more
Over the summer, the Fabulous Femininities team held three workshops with burlesque performers and producers across the local area. These workshops were themed around a number of different themes such as “Mental health champions & amateur chair burlesque” and “complex intersectionalities and audiences”. As part of the workshops, we were joined by Abigail and Chloe … Read more
Burlesque is an art form which actively celebrates older performers and recognises how age can be a marker of experience, provenance and artistry. It seems deeply appropriate, then, that on October 1st, Fabulous Femininities team member Prof. Alice O’Grady will be speaking at the International Day of Older People event in Leeds. She will be … Read more
On Friday 28th June, the Fabulous Femininities documentary was shown at Stirchley Open Cinema in Birmingham as part of a collaboration between Stirchley and Journey Film Club. It was part of their Pride programming and formed a double bill with All Of Us Strangers. Many thanks to the team at Stirchley and Journey Film Club … Read more
Hello everyone, We’re firmly into the next phase of Fabulous Femininities so I thought I’d share some behind the scenes images with you all. We’ve held two workshops with participants in Doncaster and in Leeds where we’ve discussed safe-spaces and inclusivity in burlesque and cabaret, for performers, promoters, and audience members, and been sharing updates … Read more